Wildflower Wonders Play-Based Therapy

06/17/2026

Huge update!
This week, alone, we've started processing ABA, Speech, and OT evaluations and started treating under BCBS and Medicaid (Aetna, United, Tricare all in process). We had a record day of 29 campers in our facility in the past week (alternating times, but it's been amazing).

Some say complaining gets you nowhere, but my voice is all I have some days. I fight to the end, if it means helping someone, especially someone from our marginalized community. Along the lines of screaming for help, we've also received a call that, thanks to the UAH RAN providing potential resources to our clients' families to help with financial costs of camp and therapies, we now have a partnership with the autism spectrum disorder foundation https://myasdf.org/our-programs/

They are providing financial assistance to help fund camp costs to the families that applied and have heard the pleas of a family in need of a communication device- ASAP- and are sending us an iPad this week so we can help this kiddo. Not many grants are easy or helpful, and with getting hundreds of "No"s or no replies from grants to help them, families are left without hope, jobs, and something to look forward to in summers in North Alabama because of their child's disability. Getting to speak with them over the past few weeks and learning about who they help (our families in need), why they help, and ask nothing in return but good vibes, spreading the word about their philanthropy, and maybe a solid Google review so that donors take it seriously has been a huge light in our often isolated community.

Are you a family affected by camp OOP costs this summer? Some of you have reached out, but if you're looking to establish as a client but lacked the resources for co-pay, we're going to reach out to you on our waitlist after covering some of our current ones in need. While camp is FUN, it still remains therapy-first. Our goal is providing accessible play-based therapies to alleviate the waitlists and driving costs for our North Alabama families. In summer, we have the opportunity to do it in longer days or more frequently due to school being out. Camp is a great way to get access to therapies, catch up on schedules over the summer, play with friends, and get the ball rolling as a Wildflower through the years. Because we have such a small staff-to-child ratio in serving our mission, our weekly OOP costs are just impossible to skate by, but we are incredibly thankful for the opportunity to bless some families that have lost so much so their child could attend this summer or the ones that are still sitting out because of cost.

Lots of love,
Jack of all trades, master of none, except- Wildling Mama of all.,
Vicki

ASDF educates the public about autism; provides families with tools and educational materials to assist in the early detection of autism as well as tools to assist children diagnosed with autism; and provides families with information on programs available for assistance.

06/16/2026

Still unhappy with the ceaseless "Effective (today)" orders, without provisions for those that need a bridge, almost always affecting the most vulnerable people in the state.

But, today our Clinical Director is effectively credentialed with Medicaid so we now can bill for all of our services we've been providing for our clients with Medicaid insurances. 💥

One step closer to making our waitlist and camp possible for our community.

06/15/2026

If you saw me today, I'm sorry if I looked stressed. I'm SO angry and so sad.

I cried today while cutting hours for clients who need 1:1s but Medicaid is still dragging their feet. In February, BCBAs were no longer "allowed" to work from home- so all of the in-home BCBA therapists or ABA- serving RBTs were forced to get a "real" office. The 3k+ ABA professionals in the state had to rent an office with a computer and a desk just to be able to do in-home ABA therapy. While working on credentialing for our clinic, we then had to halt all Medicaid credentialing for our BCBAs until we signed a lease- which ALSO took months. Lease signed, Medicaid credentialing sent out that day.

WEEKS later, our BCBA gets a packet in the mail to fill out, get fingerprinted (again, but this time, just for Medicaid). It takes 4 weeks to receive, because government still does things that most lengthy and stupidly tedious ways while everyone else is electronic. Last week, we received our "Medicaid Visit". You know, to prove we are "really" doing ABA work. Super important visit. In all of their visit, (few minutes), they asked me some questions and asked to take a picture of our locked filing cabinets and "our front sign". That's it. Didn't want to actually speak to the BCBA they were credentialing. Didn't ask for her office. Just checked some boxes and left. What a joke. A week later, we inquire about STILL waiting for our Medicaid credentialing for our BCBA, and they say they still haven't gotten the site visit paperwork. What a joke.

And to top the freaking cake, we all get this today. THIS notice. The one that now says your NP can't diagnose you with autism, and anything done in the past is no longer valid. The same medical practitioner who has been seeing your kids for years using the same assessments to diagnose for autism as anyone else. By the way- our clinic spent over $3k in the past few weeks on assessments required to even SERVE your kid ABA, Speech, and OT therapies. But let's reduce access more. Let's make it impossible for someone to get a timely autism diagnosis, which is required to start ABA therapy, which needs to be started as early as possible for positive outcomes later. Let's drop what we're doing and add YEARS to waitlists for evaluations if you won't let the same person who's diagnosing you with laryngitis, COVID, diabetes isn't allowed to do so. But the person down the street with zero medical training is the one that is allowed to.

I want to know who lied and said that Medicaid fraudsters ruined it for all of us. I want to know who has ever "made it big" in Medicaid. It screwed THE MOST DESERVING of people over. While I cry over having to LIMIT access to people who rely on Medicaid (over half our client list and waitlist), we have to "prove" we are real because the NPI numbers or degrees, the BACB numbers and certifications, the board certified exams and the strongest ethics board in any profession aren't enough to determine fraud.

The real fraud is the conversations I had to have today. The real fraud is me sitting as "Unpaid Owner" in my payroll system because I won't get paid for years while I work myself to the bone just to hire the people your children deserve to support them every single day. Despite Medicaid never reimbursing more than 40% of claims, even though we put in the work and hours to do it. The real fraud is me- because I swore to everyone my clinic would be ACCESS. While other clinics stopped taking Medicaid because they couldn't guarantee reimbursement, I said "We have to figure it out". Because it wasn't an option.

I'm sick and tired and tired and sick and when I tell you that I had tears in my eyes talking to parents today about cutting hours until we could get approved for the 1:1 their kid deserves, I also cried harder when parents THANKED me for trying and for loving them and their kids even after these conversations.

I hope you know how much I love you and your kids. And that "Unpaid Owner" Status will stay as such as long as every kid we serves gets the support they need and their support gets the salary they deserve. And while it's a whole lot of privilege for me to even say that, I will never stop fighting until things are RIGHT. Today, though, I take a break. See you in the morning

06/14/2026

Week 2 was even BETTER.
More organization, re-organized groups AGAIN. Monsoon season gave us a fun opportunity for MUD play. Reagan's Family Care visited us and got to play for a bit.

The days are short, the weekends and long, and I think we actually LOVE Mondays around here.

Did I mention how amazing our team is? Our behavior techs have brought in toys for their kids, created a movie experience on Friday where we got donated movie popcorn, our camp counselors are incredible, we are just plum LUCKY to have the best.

06/08/2026

If you have a camper this summer with us, enroll today in Music and Communication Therapy with Miss Ashley! She's offering 1:1 Music+Communication sessions this summer for our Wildling Campers!

06/08/2026

Starting NOW at Wildflower Wonders: Music and Communication Therapy led by Ashley Sluss, SLP, and board certified Music Therapist! She ties in Music, instruments, and communication, with special AAC integration for those AAC users.

Summer 1:1 sessions are currently limited to enrolled campers, but will be open to everyone starting in August!

06/07/2026

Where you’ll find me Thursday night! Come, bringing questions about IEPs, rights, anything.

06/05/2026

Week 1, in the books. Friends, fun, and history made. Everyone will sleep well tonight!

06/05/2026

What can we say? …he’s cute! Myhand Jacy

06/05/2026

Hi Mom,
Camp is fun. We played in water and made mud. Some art.
Lots of friends.
Love,
Your Wildling